Podcasts about Firedoglake

This episode is the 4th and final session of Journalism for Liberation and Combat.  Make sure to check out the audio from all four sessions here on Millennials Are Killing Capitalism. Or if you prefer, the videos from all four sessions are up on Black Power Media. And there's a syllabus you can access in the show notes. This episode is a panel discussion with Erica Caines from Hood Communist and Black Alliance For Peace, Kelly Hayes from Truthout and Movement Memos, Brian Nam-Sonenstein from Shadowproof and Beyond Prisons and Brandon Soderberg co-author of I Got A Monster and former editor-in-chief of the Baltimore City Paper.  Each of these folks have much more extensive bios which we will include in the show notes and which get read out later in the episode after Brooke and I situate the panel a bit within the series. We encourage you to follow and support their work and more than that we hope that more comes from our collaboration with these great folks, and through folks who either participated in the seminars or who have watched or listened to this series in video or audio form. This is our first episode of April, we put out 5 episodes in March. So if you like what we do here at MAKC, kick $1 or whatever you can into our patreon to make sure we can continue to provide you with new episodes every week.  Panelists: Erica Caines is a coordinating committee of The Black Alliance For Peace and a member of the Black working-class centered Ujima People's Progress Party in Maryland. Caines is the founder of Liberation Through Reading and is also co-editor of the Revolutionary African blog, Hood Communist. Kelly Hayes is the host of Truthout's podcast Movement Memos and a contributing writer at Truthout. Kelly's written work can be found in numerous other publications and books, including the anthology Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect? and Mariame Kaba's bestseller We Do This 'til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice. Kelly was an organizer with We Charge Genocide and co-founded the Chicago Light Brigade and the Lifted Voices collective. Kelly's movement photography is featured in the “Freedom and Resistance” exhibit of the DuSable Museum of African American History.  Brian Nam-Sonenstein is an independent journalist and editor living in Maine. He is one of the co-founders of the reader-supported news website Shadowproof.com and the Beyond Prisons podcast. Previously, Brian was the associate publisher of Firedoglake, an early and influential online forum for left journalism and organizing. There, he worked to connect journalists with movement organizers around the country working on a wide range of issues including fighting foreclosures, drug prohibition, anti war mobilizations, whistleblower defense, and environmental justice. Since around 2014, his primary focus has been to amplify abolitionist movements and thought through media, and to help cultivate and spread an abolitionist ethic among journalists.  Brandon Soderberg is a Baltimore-based reporter who covers dirty cops, harm reduction, direct action, and guns. He is the coauthor of I Got a Monster: The Rise and Fall of America's Most Corrupt Police Squad. He is the former editor-in-chief of Baltimore City Paper and is the co-founder of Baltimore Beat, a community-focused nonprofit media outlet. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Intercept, Vice, The Appeal, Filter Magazine, and many other publications. Currently he writes about Baltimore for The Real News.

For anyone who follows this podcast, it's never a surprise when you hear the words “I don't know.”  Not due to a gap in knowledge of any kind or the question being one of an odd variety, but because it simply lives behind this giant wall of silence called the U.S. classification system.  The Korean War has been over since 1953 and yet, we still don't know the full extent of U.S. culpability in using biological warfare against North Korean / Chinese forces.  Censorship is a different matter.  For a country ostensibly on the side of “free speech”, the United States often uses censorship to shore up their narratives among the American people.     Dr. Jeffrey Kaye joins the podcast to discuss his most recent CounterPunch piece, “CIA, MKULTRA and the Cover-up of U.S. Germ Warfare in the Korean War.”   “In this article, CIA mind-control programs are linked to experiments on returning Korean War POWs. Also revealed is the extent to which CIA officials from Projects Bluebird, Artichoke and MKULTRA collaborated with U.S. biological warfare efforts, including the top secret “processing” of high-ranking POWs who confessed to U.S. use of biological weapons.” Jeff Kaye is a highly respected psychologist in San Francisco and an expert on current torture and rendition techniques and developments. He writes on torture and other subjects for Firedoglake, Truthout, and most recently at CounterPunch. Main website: https://www.fortressonahill.com Let me guess.  You're enjoying the show so much, you'd like to leave us a review?!  https://lovethepodcast.com/fortressonahill Email us at fortressonahill@gmail.com Check out our t-shirt store on Spreadshirt.com: https://bit.ly/3qD63MW Not a contributor on Patreon? You're missing out on amazing bonus content! Sign up to be one of our patrons today! - https://www.patreon.com/fortressonahill A special thanks to our Patreon honorary producers - Will Ahrens, Fahim Shirazee, James O'Barr, Adam Bellows, Eric Phillips, Paul Appell, Julie Dupris, Thomas Benson,  Janet Hanson, Tristan Oliver, Daniel Fleming, Michael Caron, Zach H, Ren Jacob, Howard Reynolds, Why I am Antiwar Podcast, Korgoth, Alejandro, and the Statist Quo Podcast.  You all are the engine that helps us power the podcast.  Thank you so much!!! Not up for something recurring like Patreon, but want to give a couple bucks?!  Visit https://paypal.me/fortressonahill to contribute!! Fortress On A Hill is hosted, written, and produced by Chris 'Henri' Henrikson, Danny Sjursen, and Keagan Miller. https://bit.ly/3yeBaB9 Intro / outro music "Fortress on a hill" written and performed by Clifton Hicks.  Click here for Clifton's Patreon page: https://bit.ly/3h7Ni0Z Cover and website art designed by Brian K. Wyatt Jr. of B-EZ Graphix Multimedia Marketing Agency in Tallehassee, FL: https://bit.ly/2U8qMfn Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts alone, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

Dan and Joanne interview psychologist and writer Jeffrey Kaye about the history of torture in the American empire and the latest news of black sites and outsourced torture in Yemen. Jeff is a psychologist and a writer, specializing on the topics of torture, national security, civil rights. He has done some major collaborative investigatory work (some co-written with Jason Leopold) that have been published at Firedoglake, Truthout, and The Public Record. We are independent media and we rely on your contributions Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire, Donations: aroundtheempire.com Follow @jeff_kaye. Find his work at valtinsblog.blogspot.com Find all of our work at our new website aroundtheempire.com Follow @aroundtheempire Follow @DanSWright @joanneleon Please subscribe/follow us on iTunes, YouTube, Facebook. Recorded on June 27, 2017. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Kevin Gosztola is a journalist for Firedoglake.com and co-host of the weekly podcast radio show, "Unauthorized Disclosure." He regularly covers whistleblowing, secrecy and WikiLeaks. He extensively covered the court martial of Chelsea Manning and co-authored Truth and Consequences: The US v. Private Manning with The Nation's Greg Mitchell. He discusses recent FBI arrests of alleged supporters of ISIS, the imprisonment of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling, and the harassment of WikiLeaks volunteer Jacob Appelbaum. If you'd like to write to Jeffrey Sterling, write to Jeffrey Sterling, 38338-044 FCI Englewood FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION 9595 WEST QUINCY AVELITTLETON, CO 80123 He can receive letters and cards only. Anything else is considered contraband and will be confiscated. All incoming correspondence is reviewed. It is important that all content be of an uplifting nature as any disparaging comments about the government, the trial or any peoples involved will have negative consequences for Jeffrey.

Co-host Kevin Gosztola interviews former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou, who was released from Loretto prison in Pennsylvania after 23 months in jail. He pled guilty to violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, but it was not until he spoke up about waterboarding being torture in an interview in 2007 that he became a target for prosecution. He maintains that, while what he did was wrong, he was the subject of a selective and vindictive prosecution.  While in prison, he wrote at least 15 "Letters from Loretto," which Firedoglake published. We talk about how the Bureau of Prisons designated him a "dangerous" prisoner because of his crime, what he witnessed in terms of medical emergencies and unhealthy food and what it meant for him to be able to write letters from prison that were guaranteed to reach a wide audience.  In the second part of the interview, we outline all the ways the CIA attempts to control information through prepublication review boards and secrecy contracts. We discuss whistleblowers like Jeffrey Sterling and Stephen Kim, who have similarly had their lives destroyed.  Kiriakou is the guest for the full hour. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek, who writes for the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog, are joined by Keeanga Yamahtta-Taylor, who is a professor at Princeton University and also works at the Center for African-American Studies. Yamahtta-Taylor talks to us about why Ferguson erupted into anger and protest over the killing of Mike Brown by a white police officer, especially since this happens in cities all over the United States just about every other day. She also discusses issues of class and class position in black communities and how they factor into debates about how to win justice.    During the discussion portion, the show stays on this topic and highlights an array of examples of police crimes that seem to have occurred or earned attention in the past week. Some insights are shared from Gosztola's reporting trip to Ferguson. The demands for justice from organizers in Ferguson are highlighted as well.  

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and independent journalist Rania Khalek are joined by Truthout contributors Dahr Jamail and William Rivers Pitt. They recently co-authored the book, The Mass Destruction of Iraq: The Disintegration of a Nation - Why It Is Happening and Who Is Responsible. Jamail and Pitt provide insights on the continuation of the US military's latest operations in Iraq, the new Iraqi prime minister handpicked by the US government, the role of the Kurdish forces and whether there is an endgame to what the US is doing in Iraq.  During the discussion portion, we highlight the case of former Bagram prisoner Qandi Agha, who provided Amnesty International an account of torture he suffered after being detained by US special forces in Afghanistan. Then, the rest of the show is spent talking about everything in Ferguson, Missouri, that happened in the aftermath of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown being shot and killed by police. (Everything right up to the afternoon of August 15.)   

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek, who publishes to the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog, are the hosts of this podcast.  This week, Gosztola interviews Jesselyn Radack, who is one of the defense lawyers for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and the director for the Government Accountability Project's National Security and Human Rights Division. She talks about the latest with Snowden, the one-year anniversary of Chelsea Manning's conviction, mass surveillance and its effects on whistleblowing, lawyers and journalists as well as various other stories from the past week that all have some connection to the government's efforts to control information.  During the discussion segment, the case of oncologist Dr. Rafil Dhafir, is highlighted. He used his own charity to raise money for Iraqis affected by depleted uranium until the government criminalized his activity, put him on trial and had him jailed. He is currently in solitary confinement, and a phone number for the federal medical center where he is being held is provided to those who feel moved and want to urge the prison to let him out of solitary.  

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and independent journalist Rania Khalek are joined by Hatem Abudayyeh, who is a national coordinating committee member for the US Palestinian Community Network. He has been involved in organizing demonstrations in Chicago in support of Palestinians and against Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza. He also had his home raided by the FBI in 2010 (along with 22 other activists) for his engagement in Palestinian solidarity activism and remains under a cloud of investigation that the Justice Department refuses to bring to an end, even though he has not been indicted or charged with any crime. Abudayyeh discusses how the police handle Palestinian supporters versus the supporters of Israel, the upper-class gun-toting Zionist who was arrested in Chicago, efforts to suppress Palestinian solidarity activism and also the political case of Rasmea Odeh, who is a Palestinian on trial for alleged immigration fraud Later, Khalek provides an update on Gaza and the West Bank. Gosztola highlights how CIA director John Brennan and former CIA officials are plotting to discredit the Senate intelligence committee's torture report and The Intercept's story on the National Counterterrorism Center's criteria for placing people on government watchlists.

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and independent journalist Rania Khalek are joined by Deepa Kumar, an associate professor in the journalism and media studies department of Rutgers University and author of Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire. Kumar explores how the US media has been covering Palestinians in Gaza, especially as Israel's assault has escalated. She also provides context for why five named Muslim Americans became targets of the NSA and FBI, as The Intercept reported just over a week ago. During a shorter discussion portion, we talk about Israel's ground invasion and how Israel is blaming Hamas for all the civilians who die. We also highlight censorship news organizations like NBC News and CNN have imposed on reporters covering Gaza.     

  Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and independent journalist Rania Khalek are joined by Todd Miller, a journalist who has covered US-Mexico border issues for over 15 years. He is the author of Border Patrol Nation: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Homeland Security. He appears on the show to provide historical context for why tens of thousands of children and their families have fled Central American countries to the US-Mexico border. He also addresses how private corporations stand to benefit from detention centers that the Obama administration plans to develop or build.  During the discussion portion, Khalek provides an update on Israel's assault on Gaza, and Gosztola provides some comments on the NSA spying on American Muslims.   This week we highlight efforts to get water to Detroit residents, who have had their water shut off by the city. We highlight Wiley Gill, a victim of an American domestic surveillance system known as the National Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative.   

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and independent journalist Rania Khalek are joined by The Nation's sports correspondent, Dave Zirin, to talk about the World Cup, FIFA, the sports "shock doctrine," Brazil culture and history, as well as the militarization of areas in and around the sites of the games. Zirin discusses numerous details from his book, "Brazil's Dance with the Devil," now available from Haymarket Books. We also discuss the protests and how they have pushed mainstream media to pay more attention to issues that arise from hosting mega-events like the World Cup or Olympics.During the discussion portion, we talk about child refugees crossing the US-Mexico border, the Justice Department's decision to finally drop charges against Sami al-Arian and developments with Israel, particularly those related to the murder of a Palestinian teen.  There's ten to fifteen extra minutes this week, as we talked to Zirin for about 40 minutes. Enjoy. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined by Keane Bhatt, a DC-based activist and writer. He talks to us about a letter signed by individuals like two Nobel Peace laureates. The letter was written to pressure Human Rights Watch to close its "revolving door" and be more independent from the US government. Bhatt shares some examples of why those concerned with human rights should raise this issue with this organization, even as the organization is doing some critically important work on human rights.  During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek discuss the UC Santa Barbara shooting, Venezuela sanctions, Obama as deporter-in-chief, proxy forces being used by the US government, a California Supreme Court decision on police secrecy around shootings, a lawsuit against an incident of mass detention in Aurora, Colorado, and Edward Snowden's NBC interview. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined by Mary Wareham of Human Rights Watch. Wareham is the advocacy director for the arms division of Human Rights Watch and spearheads a global coalition to ban killer robots. She was recently in Geneva for the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) meeting to discuss how countries should respond to the rise of this technology.   During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek discuss media organizations challenging secrecy around execution drugs for lethal injections, US citizens' support for the death penalty, a global survey that found 4 in 10 believe their governments would torture them if they were taken into custody, Guantanamo force-feedings and media coverage of Palestinian Nakba Day. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined by Carlos Garcia, the director of the Puente Arizona, which is part of a global movement for migrant justice and human rights. Garcia joined others from several states to come to Washington, DC, to speak to representatives of Congress about Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) "bed quotas." Every year, 34,000 beds have to be occupied by the bodies of immigrants in the process of deportation. During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek discuss US forces sent in to Nigeria to help rescue kidnapped girls from Boko Haram, the US-Djibouti relationship that has helped make drone warfare and rendition possible, McClatchy journalist Adam Baron being deported from Yemen, James Clapper's massive gag policy on intelligence employees citing "known leaks" and Israeli stealing of US industrial secrets.

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined by Rachel Meeropol of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Meeropol is a senior staff attorney, who argued in court this week that the FBI should not have rounded up Muslims in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and former US officials should be held responsible. Meeropol also discusses developments in a CCR lawsuit involving Communications Management Units (CMUs) in two US prisons. The units impose restrictive conditions and disproportionately affect Muslims and prisoners who maintain their political beliefs while imprisoned. During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek discuss John Kerry's now-blasphemous comment—his use of the word "apartheid" (oh my!), Prince Georges Police Department's plan to live tweet a prostitution sting, a rather troubling instance of larger organizations policing dissent during the May Day march in Chicago. We also share some thoughts on surveillance panels dominated purely by white men. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined by Rooj Alwazir of the Support Yemen media collective. Alwazir is based in Sanaa, Yemen, and provides an update on the reported drone strikes and air strikes in country of which US and Yemen governments have been involved. She describes the cycle of violence along with what Americans are not hearing about the extent to which the attacks are unfortunately having the negative effect of making Yemenis more sympathetic to al Qaeda. During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek discuss a prison hunger strike that was halted in Alabama, #myNYPD, a Jersey City man who was blinded after being shot by police but faces 30 years in prison, the FBI coercing Muslims to become informants by placing them on the No Fly List and James Clapper's gag order for intelligence employees so they don't talk to the press. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined by Yousef Al Jamal, a young Palestinian from Gaza who contributed to a collection of stories called "Gaza Writes Back." The collection of stories were all written by young Palestinians and highlight Gaza, Palestine, Israeli occupation, life in Gaza, society, politics, love, hope and everything in between.During the discussion, Gosztola and Khalek talk about Cliven Bundy, the Jewish center shooting by a white supremacist, Edward Snowden asking Putin a question and Vox.com, the new startup media outlet there to patronizingly explain the news to you.   

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined by Pardiss Kebriaei, a staff attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, to discuss the Awlaki decision. She is the leading attorney on the case which a judge dismissed and addresses what the families of US citizens were seeking from their government after their sons were killed in drone strikes. She also outlines some of the most troubling aspects of the judge's decision.  During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek discuss FBI agents on JSOC raids in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Albuquerque police, "Cuban Twitter" and President Barack Obama as this country's deporter-in-chief.     

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog host a special episode with voices sharing the experiences in the war on Palestinian solidarity activism on college or university campuses in America.  Iymen Chehade, a professor who teaches the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at Columbia College Chicago, recounts how his academic freedom was violated by the college after he chose to screen the documentary 5 Broken Cameras to students. Farah and Suha, two University of Michigan students, discuss their struggle to get a divestment resolution passed and how the student government tried to silence and ignore them. And Tori Porell, a student at Northeastern University and president in exile for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter, describes how the university banned SJP and targeted Arab or Muslim students they thought were associated with the group. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined for the interview segment by Molly Crabapple, an artist and writer who recently published, "Theater of Justice," for Vice, which described how trials she had attended to draw sketches were like performances. She discusses her work and how she chooses what to sketch next. During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek talk about ABC News hiring former NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly, the White House launching a community channel on Buzzfeed, Mike Rogers leaving Congress to become Glenn Beck and how Obama rewrote the history of the Iraq War when denouncing Russia.  

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined for the interview segment by Aviva Stahl, a journalist and contributor to The Nation. Kayyali discusses her recent story on how the British government is stripping dual citizens of their citizenship. These individuals are subsequently being attacked or targeted by US drones or, in some cases, they are being subject to rendition. At least one man ended up in a US prison in Manhattan.  During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek talk about former RT anchor Liz Wahl and the role that a neoconservative from Bill Kristol's think tank played in encouraging her to resign. They highlight the anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq and criticize the media for generally ignoring what the US did to the country and continues to do by supporting Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government and his brutal security forces. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined for the interview segment by Nadia Kayyali, an activist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Kayyali discusses her role in the effort in Oakland to stop the proposed Domain Awareness Center (DAC), a surveillance hub. Activists and resident groups seem to have stopped it from metastasizing into the city. It will only monitor the area in and around the Port of Oakland. Yet, like any surveillance project, it could easily grow.  During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek talk about the latest bombing of Gaza from Israel, the six US drone strikes in Yemen this month, corrupt prosecutors in the Justice Department, what happened when the US was confronted on its human rights record by a UN panel this past week and how the CIA doesn't want the fact that torture was official policy to be undisputed so it has fought the Senate.       

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined for the interview segment by Dahr Jamail, a staff reporter for Truthout.org. Jamail discusses his latest reporting on what has happened with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's forces in Fallujah. He also outlines some of the residual effects of the US occupation that Iraq is still experiencing, including the fact that forces are responsible for rape, torture and executions. During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek talk about RT anchors, who decided to protest, to varying degrees. They discuss what the US media conveniently ignored and make some larger points about RT and the US media. And then, the detention of CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin in Cairo, where thuggish security officers broke her arms, is highlighted. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined for the interview segment by Eva Golinger, an American-Venezuelan lawyer and author of The Chavez Code. She puts the recent "crisis" in Venezuela into context by comparing it to the 2002 coup. She also highlights the role of private media in Venezuelan society, who are the leaders of the "opposition" and why the US government and American elites have considered the Bolivarian revolution a threat.  During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek talk about a spat between Daily Beast reporter Eli Lake and national security journalist Joshua Foust. And, ahead of the Oscars, Gosztola calls attention to some of the films nominated that actually are worth seeing.       

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined for the interview segment by Paula Swearingen, a mother in West Virginia an an organizer who shares details on the impact of a chemical spill. She opens up about the impact of coal on West Virginians and how the industry controls people's lives. This was the show's pilot episode, recorded on January 18, 2014. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined for the interview segment by Raven Rakia, an independent journalist. She discusses the verdict in the Michael Dunn trial, respectability politics that black people are often expected to follow, colorblind prosecutors and racist violence that the justice system has a way of making legitimate. During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek discuss a man being shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent after allegedly throwing a rock at the agent, the LAPD's new love affair with drones—in Israel, the decision in an NYPD spying lawsuit brought by Muslims and the decision in the David Miranda case that has profound implications for press freedom, especially in the United Kingdom, and gives security services permission to treat journalists like terrorists.    

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek of the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog are joined for the interview segment by Nima Shirazi, an analyst of US foreign policy toward the Middle East. Shirazi also an editor for Muftah.org and blogs at "Wide Asleep in America." Shirazi discusses the agreement over Iran's nuclear program, how AIPAC lost in its effort to win more sanctions against Iran and, in general, the charade the US and Israel has played to propagate myths about the country's nuclear program.  During the discussion portion of the show, Gosztola and Khalek discuss the abduction of drone victim, journalist and activist Kareem Khan in Pakistan, Joint Special Operations Command's use of NSA metadata for drone killings and a Malaysian doctoral student's placement on the no-fly list and how the Obama administration abused state secrets and secrecy to get away with violating her rights. 

Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake.com and Rania Khalek, who publishes the "Dispatches from the Underclass" blog, interview Kade Crockford, a director for the Technology for Liberty Project of the ACLU of Massachusetts. We discuss what is known about how all levels of government in the United States use surveillance capabilities or tools to target activists as if they are terrorists. Following the interview portion of the podcast, Khalek and I discuss Sodastream and Scarlett Johansson and a couple of very disturbing cases where cavity searches by police allegedly occurred. Then, I read from some transcripts of court proceedings in the 'NATO 3,' giving listeners a flavor for what it has been like to be in the courtroom doing coverage.

We explore restrictions on the rights of people to assemble and express dissent in the United States. The First Amendment gives us the right to peaceably assemble and redress our government for our grievances. Instead of protecting that right, the government, local police and private companies are acting to prevent and stop actions of dissent. The First Amendment also gives the right to freedom of the press, but today’s press are mouthpieces for the corporate state. What is being done to preserve our rights? We speak with Kevin Gosztola who has been covering this issue for FireDogLake as the Dissenter,  and Tarak Kauff, a veteran arrested at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial last Oct for protesting the war in Afghanistan. For more information, visit ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Toronto based social media consultant, editor and writer Ian Welsh writes at IanWelsh.com. Formerly the Managing Editor of FireDogLake and the Agonist, his work has also appeared at Huffington Post, Alternet, and Truthout, as well as the now defunct Blogging of the President (BOPNews). In Canada his work has appeared in Pogge.ca and BlogsCanada. Ian and Jay talk about how the events in Boston illuminate the intelligence and military apparatus now operating in the US,  in support of an increasingly oligarchic system of governance throughout much of the OECD. 

Nicole reacts to the news that President Obama is offering massive cuts to Social Security and Medicare with today's guests: FireDogLake's David Dayen, The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel, PCCC's T. Neil Sroka. Plus Van Jones on Rebuild the Dream and comedian John Fugelsang.

Freedom and equality were supposed to be values that define the United States of America. We indict nations like China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and so many others for their practice of political imprisonment or abuse of specific individuals that are seen to be a threat to society without any sort of trial. How, then, can President Obama and Pentagon officials even begin to defend the treatment of PFC Bradley Manning, whose treatment in no way complies with the Uniform Code of Military Justice? Dylan had the opportunity to talk to Marcy Wheeler of FireDogLake about the treatment of PFC Bradley Manning. Marcy has been at the forefront of coverage on his story since the very beginning.

The deficit, obviously, is the big to-do in the world these days, and the question usually is, “What do we do about the deficit?” but the actual question should be, “Why do we have a deficit and what can be done to solve the underlying problems that are creating the deficit?” To get answers, we talked to Jon Walker of FireDogLake.com, who has been producing some excellent coverage of the healthcare crisis and its effect on our nations deficit.

Nicole speaks with The Hill's Brent Budowsky about the budget battle, FireDogLake's David Dayen about his series on HAMP, and The Nation's Jeremy Scahill about what's going on in Yemen and Libya.

Nicole talks with Rik Converse, a "99er" who's on a journey across the country speaking with people about their economic situation, one state per week; Michael Whitney of Firedoglake.com about Bradley Manning's incarceration and treatment; and Gotta Laff of The Political Carnival about Keith Olbermann's departure from MSNBC.

Nicole Sandler discussed last night's memorial in Tuscon... guests included FireDogLake's David Dayen and comedian John Fugelsang

Nicole Sandler fills in for Randi Rhodes. Guests include Freepress.net's Tim Karr, United Steelworkers' president Leo Gerard, and FireDogLake's David Dayen

Nicole speaks with FireDogLake's David Dayen about the debate between Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman, DownWithTyranny's Howie Klein, Progressive Democrats of America's Tim Carpenter

Nicole Sandler speaks with David Dayen of FireDogLake about his HAMP series, author Barr McClellan about his book "Made in the USA," and The Political Carnival's Gotta Laff

Nicole Sandler speaks with Teddy Partridge and David Dayen (both of FireDogLake) about today's ruling that says Prop 8 is unconstitutional; Derrick Crowe of Rethink Afghanistan; @Barkway-Deepwater Throat whistleblower; and The Nation's Christian Parenti re: "The Big Green Buy"

Nicole Sandler guest hosts the Randi Rhodes Show with guests Jason Leopold of truthout.org talking about the latest in the BP disaster; David Dayen of FireDogLake about the new financial regulations bill; and Patrick of Palingates about Shakes-Palin

It was a busy show today! Nicole was joined by Jon Walker of FireDogLake, discussing California's Prop 19, which would legalize marijuana for recreational use; activist & author David Swanson who updated us on Thursday night's vote in the House authorizing the latest war supplemental funding bill; Mark Calzacara of the Council of Canadians regarding the violent response of Toronto police to G20 protestors; Environmentalist Ted Glick who'll be sentenced tomorrow on two misdemeanor charges for hanging two banners in the Hart Senate office building (and could get 3 years!); and cultural HERstorian Amy Simon helped wrap up our Independence Day celebration with stories of the women who've run for the presidency.

Nicole talks about the future of the progressive movement with David Dayen of FireDogLake. And Jason Leopold of Truthout.org checks in with the real life horror story of the "human experimentation" in the Bush torture program

Nicole filled in for Randi Rhodes again today... She talked the news with David Dayen of Firedoglake and Greg Sargent of Washington Post, about the BP mess with Michael Whitney, about Afghanistan with Derrick Crowe, the VA with Philip Longman, and laughed with John Fugelsang... and took lots of listeners calls too.

Nicole Sandler is joined by David Dayen of Firedoglake.com, Gotta Laff of The Political Carnival, Chris Rodda of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, Marco Ceglie of The Other 98%, and Howie Klein of DownWithTyranny.com

Nicole Sandler talks about the news with FireDogLake's David Dayen, about pop culture with Lisa Derrick of lafiga.firedoglake.com, and about religion and hypocrisy with comedian John Fugelsang.

Today was the big health care summit, so today Nicole Sandler played some clips from the event, and talked about it with The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn and FireDogLake's David Dayen. In hour 2, Nicole chatted with comedian John Fugelsang.

Nicole Sandler attempts to find out what's happening with health care reform...playing audio from Nancy Pelosi's conference call with bloggers, speaking with David Dayen of FireDogLake.com and Ellen Ratner of the Talk Radio News Service

Firedoglake's Lisa Derrick speaks with Nicole Sandler about Sarah Palin, her Oprah appearance, and her new book

Lisa Derrick, who writes the La Figa blog at FireDogLake joins Nicole Sandler from Netroots Nation '09

Nicole Sandler speaks with two people who attended the Micahel Jackson Memorial at the Staples Center, then dishes with Lisa Derrick, who writes the La Figa blog at Firedoglake.

Christy Hardin Smith from FireDogLake.com cuts down the conservative torture apologists. Plus, can we target torturers without depleting grassroots pressure for health care and climate protection?

Abe mostly teases Clinton, and her deluded, awful supporters - but also McCain and his deluded, awful racism. Clinton supporters threaten to vote for McCain (out of spite.)

A discussion of the recent MoveOn ad that has caused much consternation and woe internally to the Democrats and has caused grief from Republicans toward Democrats to increase dramatically. Interview is with Pachacutec of FireDogLake and guest bloggers include Clammy C from DailyKos and Heading Left as well as another blogger to be determined.

Replay of interviews with Ted Johnson, Managing Editor of Daily Variety and Howie Klein, Blue America founder and blogger from DownWithTyranny and FireDogLake

Act 1: The Overview - BBC Act 2: On the ground reporting - FireDogLake.com Act 3: Libby, Rove, Cheney - The Young Turks Act 4: The first interview - Countdown Act 5: We're gonna fuck 'em - Real Time Act 6: Private Detective on the case - Act 7: Another interview - Ring of Fire Act 8: Libby NOT guilty - Countdown Act 9: Another interview Part 2 - Ring of Fire Act 10: He's GUILTY! - Randi Rhodes Act 11: Fuck Scooter Libby - YouTube Guy "Warren25smash" Music: Ricky Lee Jones - Have you had enough Nightmares on Wax - Fire in the middle Chicane - Autumn Tactics Roni Size and Reprazent - Hot Stuff The Capitol Steps - Detective Story: The Plame Affair Bob Marley - Caution The Bad Plus - Smells like teen spirit Radiohead - Karma Police Dephazz - I saw it on the radio Thanks for listening! Visit us at www.BestOfTheLeftPodcast.com Contact me directly at HippieSympathizer@gmail.com Leave us comments at www.PodcastAlley.com or Review the show on iTunes. Digg us at www.Digg.com